Employee Records
Confidentiality and Employee Records
Employee records are University property and are treated as confidential. Employee records
may only be disclosed to individuals who have a legitimate need for the information and only
under the circumstances described in this guide. Employees entrusted with access to official
employee records held in the Records and Data Management Division must sign a confidentiality
agreement.
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Disclosure of Employee Information to Current and Former Employees
Employee information may be disclosed on a need-to-know basis
to a supervisor and to the following administrative functions:
the Division of Human Resources (DHR), Office of Equal
Employment Opportunity (EEO), Payroll Services, Office of Risk
Management, Office of General Counsel, University Police Department
(UPD) and others as approved by the Associate Vice President for
Human Resources. The Director of the Records and Data Management
Division must approve disclosure of employee information.
Current and former employees may review their employee records during regular business hours in
the Records and Data Management Division. One copy per year of documents contained in the record
will be provided upon request and without cost.
If an employee finds an error in his or her information (i.e., name, social security number),
he or she should contact the Records and Data Management Division by phone at
(202) 994-9640. If an employee locates a problem with disciplinary paperwork or performance
evaluations, he or she should contact the Employee Relations Division by phone at
(202) 994-9611.
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Disclosure of Employee Information to Parties Outside the University
The Records and Data Management Division will provide official information for all current or
former employees as outlined below:
- General Employee Information. Name, employment date, termination date, title, and department are considered general employee information and may be disclosed without the consent or knowledge of current or former employees.
- Legal Requirements. In response to a subpoena, warrant, court order, other legal compulsion, or request from authorized government agencies, appropriate records may be disclosed without the consent or knowledge of current or former employees. Please refer to the Legal Matters section for more information. (link to legal matters coming soon!)
- Emergencies. When necessary to protect the health, safety, or property of any person, appropriate records may be disclosed without the consent or knowledge of current or former employees.
- Threats to the University. When necessary to protect the University, appropriate records may be disclosed without the consent or knowledge of current or former employees.
Payroll Services will respond to inquiries regarding specific earnings with the written consent of the employee.
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Disclosure of Employee Information to the Media
Contacts by the media regarding current and former employees should be referred, without
response, to the Office of University Relations.
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Providing Employee References
The Records and Data Management Division will respond to requests
for employment references for past or present staff members. Supervisors
receiving a reference request should refer the request, without
response, to the Records and Data Management Division. The Records
and Data Management Division will use the official personnel record
to respond and will consult with individual departments to gather
other information as needed. To ensure that employee records are
up-to-date, departments and supervisors should promptly forward
completed performance evaluations to the Records and Data Management
Division and initiate the hire and termination process in a timely
manner.
Responses to reference requests will generally be limited to the following information:
confirmation of official job title(s), department(s), and dates of service. If an employee or
requestor provides written consent, the Records and Data Management Division will release
additional information.
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